Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, Zheenbek Kulubaev met with a representative of the Moscow Government, Sergey Cheremin, where they discussed the situation surrounding labor migrants in the Russian capital.
Kulubaev spoke about the large number of Kyrgyz working in Moscow, most of whom are employed in wholesale and retail, construction, catering, hotel and hospitality services, and processing of industrial goods. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 200,000 Kyrgyz live in Greater Moscow, and according to unofficial data, the number is possibly two to three times that. Regulations on Kyrgyz citizens residing and working in Russia are governed by several bilateral agreements and treaties: Kyrgyz citizens can be employed under a civil-law contract without the need to obtain a labor permit; Kyrgyz citizens can also work in Russia using driver’s licenses issued in their homeland.
However, in the aftermath of the attack on the Crocus City Hall on March 22 – allegedly perpetrated by Tajik terrorists – the overall Russian attitude towards migrants who perform many essential jobs has changed, and local authorities want to tighten Russia’s migration legislation.
In late March, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry called on his compatriots to refrain from traveling to Russia until additional security measures are lifted. There are known cases when Kyrgyz citizens have been refused admission by the Federal Customs Service’s passport control at Sheremetyevo International Airport. The migrants who flew in had their documents taken and were not allowed to enter Russia.
Earlier, Cheremin said that the Kyrgyz diaspora occupies a very important place in social and cultural projects in the Russian capital, adding that many Kyrgyz work in high-tech industries.
